Tag: music

I need to tell you something about Open Mic Night, that I host on Wednesday’s, at The Alchemist.

My background is radio. I was on air at the age of 13 and was on air for a total of 7 years, until I left it 3.7 years ago.

My last show on radio was literally based around Brown Artists from around the world, non-Bollywood (considering the station I worked with) – rap, reggae, trap, electronic etc. It was about their music being heard on Kenyan airwaves and anyone listening online.

Earlier this year I worked with a festival, the festival was predominantly based at The Alchemist and being part of the committee, I came up with the idea of Open Mic. This was in June.

Literally during the event of the festival, I mentioned to a few of the committee members that I was gonna take Open Mic to another level.

The Alchemist would (and still does) receive countless messages from different types of artists for a chance to perform on their stage.

So I shared the idea with the owners and they seemed interested and then asked… But who would host it and handle all the logistics etc. I literally put my hand up like I was in a classroom and said… I’ll do it.

This conversation happened towards the end of June and in July we got talking further and decided we would start on the 1st of August.

We had no idea what to expect, who to expect and how it would be received by artists and the audience.

From day one… The sign up sheet has filled up before registration time ends and the response has been amazing.

We’ve had people perform every week since Open Mic Night started, as dedicated artists, who want to perform and better their acts.

Literally, every week, 30% are artists who come back and 70% are new acts on the stage.

Open Mic Night is a platform for amateur artists looking for a place to practice, understand how to use a stage, mics, monitors, how to engage with an audience, their delivery… Everything that it takes to just start being a live performer.

For me, Open Mic Night is like being back on my radio show, giving artists a chance to be seen and heard.

The Alchemist is a playground. Anything and everything creative wise happens there and we all have so much fun being part of it.

So being a host/MC on Wednesday nights isn’t about me being back in my element doing my thing behind the mic…

It’s literally compassion for young peeps or anyone trying to get a break in the industry, to have a platform to showcase their creativity.